In the medical field, sterile fluids, such as medicaments, pharmaceuticals, sterile saline solution and so on are frequently required. Such sterile fluids are typically supplied in bottles made of glass or plastic bottles, or in semi-collapsible containers.
Bottles for sterile fluids are typically closed by a rubber stopper inserted into the mouth of the bottle. The stopper is designed so that it can be pierced by a needle, an infusion spike, or the like, to allow the contents of the bottle to be withdrawn. In some designs the stopper can be removed to allow the contents of the bottle to be poured out. In order to hold the stopper in place different kinds of over seals exist, such as a cap made of aluminium or similar thin sheet metal being crimped over the stopper and the upper part of the bottle. Over seals can also be made of plastic. In order to gain access to the stopper, either to pierce it or remove it, the cap is either partially or totally torn away. WO00/03920 of the applicant describes an example of a package on the market comprising a plastic bottle, a stopper and a plastic cap. The cap comprises a cover member which supports the stopper and which has a region that is removable to expose the upper surface of the stopper.
When transferring sterile fluids from such known packages to a syringe, cartridge or an infusion pump the stopper is typically pierced with the needle of a syringe, or the fluid is transferred to another container by removing the stopper and pouring out the content or siphoning this out with a straw. The use of a needle always poses a prick risk for the operator, in addition to the risk of transferring small particles from the stopper to the fluid to be injected in a patient. Further, if pouring or siphoning out the content, many operating steps are needed in order to transfer the bottle content to a syringe or a cartridge before the content can be administered to the patient. Some adaptors and transfer sets have been described directed to devices and methods for transferring a fluid from a bottle or vial to a syringe, cartridge or injector. WO2004/103256 discloses a transfer set for transferring e.g. between a container having a pierceable closure or stopper and another container such as a conventional syringe having a Luer threaded connector without a needle cannula. Such a transfer is not directly associated or integrated with the container and may not be practical to handle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,805 discloses a link for use between a needleless syringe and a liquid medicine vial. An adapter flange forms an anchor for a conventional Luer Lock and a receiving receptacle for a conventional slip tip syringe. The bottom end of the receiving receptacle is capped with a cylindrical sieve providing multiple fluid flow paths. An outer optional jacket, surrounding the vial top, is disclosed. Such jacket does not cover the link or the flip-off or twist-off tip inserted into the link.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below, there is a need in the art for an improved package, particularly a closure system, for sterile fluids providing an improved functionality wherein the content of the container of the package can easily be transferred to a delivery device such as a syringe or cartridge.
With the package of the invention, the problem is solved by providing an alternative package wherein the stopper is replaced with a connecting plug. The claimed package comprises a container, a connecting plug and a cap. The package hence includes an integrated connection for easily transferring the content of the container of the package to a delivery device.